quito-isms vol. 2

Quito is a very long and narrow city, as it is surrounded on both sides by the Andes. Therefore, entering or exiting Quito by plane is suddenly a bit more complicated. There is only a certain area of open sky away from the mountains in which the planes can make the ascent/descent. So, planes tend to fly pretty low here in the city. We live on the eighth (in the US, ninth) floor of our apartment high rise, so when the planes fly in, we have a pretty good view. They are also fairly loud, so I am adjusting to hearing planes at night (as well as the barking dogs and car alarms, but that's another story.) Being a post 9/11 American, I had that first second of fear whenever a plane was passing over during the whole first week, but now it just seems normal. Just another part of daily life here in Quito!

side note: maps of Quito always orient the west at the top of the map, the north to the right, and so on and so forth.

besame mucho

The typical way to greet people here in Ecuador is with a kiss on the cheek. Now, lips are not supposed to really touch the cheek--it's like the European double kiss, only one-sided. The thing is that EVERYONE does this--even when you meet people for the first time. Whenever you walk into a room, it's customary to make your way around the room kissing everyone hello. People kiss hello when they board the bus in the mornings. People kiss goodbye when they leave school in the afternoon. I'm even told that students will kiss each other when the walk into class, even if they were just in the same class. As an American who is used to much more personal space and formality, it's a little awkward to meet all of these new and immediately be kissing them. It's just another cultural thing that will take some adjusting...

fun fruits!

There are lots of new and interesting fruits here in Ecuador. I am slowly trying them all, but one of my new favorites is the pitahaya. It is a spiny looking fruit that you cut in half and eat the insides with a spoon. The insides don't look so great--grey with black seeds--but they are really sweet and delicious.

quito-isms vol. 1

Here in Quito, there is always someone to do the work for you.

• Everyone has a maid to cook and clean for them. We hopped on this bandwagon this weekend by hiring Olga to come once a week. She cleans our place and cooks a meal for us and only charges $10 a day. It's ridiculous.

• Most of the high-rise apartments have a doorman. Ours helps us bring in our purchases, buys the 5 gallon water jugs for us, and takes our trash to the dumpster.

• At the supermarket, the bagger will take the cart outside for us, flag a taxi, and load our bags into the car.
  

Having been raised in a family with the mindset of "why pay when you can do it yourself for free," I am having a little difficulty adjusting to this. However, something tells me the adjustment period won't be too long ;)

la vista

The view from my kitchen window as I was preparing dinner tonight:

Not too shabby!

major update

What a week it's been!

We've had meetings about safety, health issues, and culture shock, and I've looked at a LOT of apartments. Here's the rundown:

We've spent most of the week apartment-hunting. There are four Ecuadorian ladies from the school who've been our lifesavers and literally have run us all over the city looking for apartments, taking us to buy groceries and bedding, and helping to figure out why cell phones aren't working. Mabel (pronounced Mah-bell) is the mother hen of them all, and always has a smile on her face. Maria Fernanda is my assigned "buddy," and she is so sweet and always so excited to help. Daniella's sarcasm and quick wit took me aback at first, but I've gotten to know her and she's a riot. Belen is the youngest (in fact, she has to be younger than me) and I think she would be a fun friend. All of these women are very beautiful--like so many of the Ecuadorian women I've met. They take a lot of care with their appearance.

Apartment hunting was not easy with a cat, but I finally found a beautiful three-bedroom place that I'm going to share with my friend, Jenny. I know I had debated the pros and cons of a roommate, and then being here I felt that I wasn't quite ready to be isolated on my own in a single apartment. Jenny and I get along really well, and I think it is going to be just fine. (Plus, our place is HUGE!) The apartment is three bedrooms located next to La Carolina park, a major park in the middle of the city. One of the best malls is just three short blocks away, and there are shops and restaurants all around the building. We have the entire floor--the elevator opens up directly into the apartment. The view is amazing from every room.

The view of the park from the living room

the living room (that's a mural in the background)

la cocina (the picture doesn't show how big it is)

mi cuarto
(I am getting a new bedspread and repainting. There is some ugly sponge painting on one wall.)

I'm really happy with the place, and can't wait to finish moving in today. (thanks to Jenny for all the pictures.)

I'll wrap this up with a picture of more or less the whole group of new teachers. I can't believe I'm really here and this is really happening! It's been a great first week, and I can't wait to get out to the school next week and get settled into a routine.

estoy en quito

We arrived safe and sound! It was a long trip, and a lot of packing and re-packing and leaving of objects that I really wanted to take (duvet and featherbed, I miss you) but I am here. Six months of preparations are over! Tobey did very well on the flight--only cried a little at the end--and they did not even quarantine him. Ecuador is unreal, more on this later, and everyone is very nice. I am rooming with a cool girl from Canada while we're in the hotel, and this afternoon I start the apartment search. I promise to post more details later--I'm still digesting at this point.

stay tuned...

relief

When everyone asks me what makes me the most nervous about this move, I always respond that it's getting Tobey (my cat) through inspection, onto the plane, and into Ecuador. I have never traveled with a pet before, and I don't really know the rules. Plus, I have not found very specific instructions on the Ecuadorian Embassy website concerning pets (and don't even know whether or not to believe the website: exhibit A)

I took Tobey to the vet and got a health certificate, like the website said, and then had it notarized. I sent that and a $50 money order to the consulate in Washington DC, because one of my future colleagues had some luck doing paperwork with them via mail. The only point of concern was that the website stated that my certificate needed to be legalized by the USDA, and the vet told me I wouldn't received a copy of the legalized version. So I sweated it out for the last few days, wondering if I'd just spent a fortune on overnighting documents for nothing. However, today I walked out to get the mail and voila! there was an overnight envelope from the consulate with Tobey's health certificate! It now has a nice new sticker on the back, a stamp, and a cool holographic sticker similar to the one on my visa. I can rest a little easier now, knowing that he will not be an illegal alien! Now if we could only find something to make him sleep on the flight...

in the south

Hi all,
I'm visiting the fam in Southern Indiana, and internet access is not always readily available, so I will try to post next week. Right now I am at the playground with my three year old nephew!

goodbye warsaw

Things I'll miss...

• sushi at Cerulean
• the lakes
• Penguin Point tenderloins
• dinners at my aunt's
  
• summer evenings at Spike's (especially Moxie nights)
  
• my wonderful and dear friends who made the last few years fantastic and fun-filled. Without you all, I would have left long ago.

Things I will not miss:

• Wal-mart. and seeing everyone you know (but don't want to see) and fighting the crowds on weekend afternoons and feeling like it's the only place to shop if you need more than grocery items.